Our big girl went to the vet yesterday to get checked out. She weighs a whopping 70 lbs, which is big for a girl! 

She has still been settling in, but has two specific spots on the linoleum that she likes when she is overheated. 

The only bad part: she doesn’t tell you that she will be in front of the door when you get home. It’s pretty often that I smack her in the butt with the door. 

So to get to my story about letting our moose loose in the hallway…

We live in a luxury apartment complex in the heart of campus. A couple nights ago we were in the middle of cooking dinner when Mike (my live-in boyfriend) decided to give her a tennis ball. She went nuts with the tail wagging and ears completely perked. 

(Note: She loves balls ;) Not like that.. jeez! But really, the bigger the better! haha. If she sees a basketball, it’s all over.)

Since it’s summer time, our apartment building is pretty much vacant. Due to this, we decided it probably wouldn’t be that big of a deal to let her out in the hall off leash. We’re 14 floors up and no elevator leads directly to the outside, so how far could she get?  

Step one: slowly open the door to the outside world (aka, the carpeted hallway).

Step two: take a deep breath as she slowly leaves the safety of our apartment. 

Step three: make her realize we have the tennis ball.

Once she saw the ball, she pranced 10 feet away eager to play. With her full undivided attention, we decided to roll her the ball. Indie quickly got on top of it, put it in her mouth, looked up, made a quick 180, and ran full speed in the other direction. 

Mike and I did not panic, we figured as she hit the end of the straightaway, where the hallway makes a sharp turn, she would just turn back. WRONG! As she hit the corner, she made a quick left and disappeared from sight. As it sinks in, Mike yells “OH SHIT” and takes off after her. 

After a few seconds, I decided to jog in their direction. I didn’t get far before Indie rounds the corner at full speed with the tennis ball in mouth, and Mike nowhere to be found. As she blasts past me, I squeak her squirrel toy at her, sending her into a power slide 180, and then races towards me. I duck into the apartment with the door open and in slides our little racer, drool and all.

For people who do not know much about greyhounds, here’s a quick overview of the basics: 

Greyhounds are very mild mannered. They are well-suited for small living spaces because they are “45 mph couch potatoes.” Most greyhounds aren’t very vocal. As a volunteer from Greyhounds Only told us, every year GPA Wisconsin hold a greyhound gala where over 100 greyhounds can be found in one place, and only human voices can be heard.

There are some exceptions. Get a squeaky toy near Indie and she becomes very vocal, or at the sight of a small critter. Of course, if you reward them for being vocal they are apt to speak up more often.

Greyhounds love walks, but do not require rigorous exercise like a lab would. They are sprinters and can be trained for jogging, but jogging is very foreign to them. They’re very smart and learn things pretty quickly. This video is pretty cute! 

Greyhounds are great around people and some of them can live harmoniously with kitties or small dogs. 

They often know little about non-racing life, and you must teach them little by little how to adapt to their new life as a pet. 

Their skin is thin and rough and tumble play with other big dogs is not recommended. Their coats are low maintenance due to their short hair, but because of this they are capable of getting sunburns. 

Like any dog, greyhounds can have medical problems. Most commonly, they have bad teeth and require dental bones and/or brushing. They are also known to have bone problems and can acquire bloat. 

You can never take a greyhound off-leash, unless it’s in a fenced-in dog park, because they can get up to 45 mphs in just a few strides. Because of this, greyhounds can’t be tether to a stake in the yard. 

One very endearing quality: they’re leaners, they lean into your legs while you pet them. It makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

All and all, a greyhound is an one-of-a-kind dog that will make your heart melt.

We completed our adoption today and we now officially have Indie in our home. It would be wrong to say that she is still a guest. Within the first thirty minutes she took a dump on the linoleum, has nested all her toys (and some of my stuffed animals) in her bed, has jumped onto our bed without invitation, and is know sprawled across the whole couch. 

She seems very settled in now. We took her on her first walk and she did wonderfully. She’s still a little nervous about being a new strange place, but hopefully soon she will understand that this is home. 

We are adopting Indie, formerly Cherished Prize, from Greyhounds Only (a wonderful adoption organization based in the upper Chicago suburbs. She comes tomorrow and in preparation we have bought her two beds, a giant crate (that we will phase out when she is ready), two leashes, two martingale collars from a wonderful seller on Etsy (GramaryeCottage), raised dog bowls, and a dog food container. 

She’s a super sweet gal who loves to lean. She’s crazy about squeaky toys, and we’ve been told she will likely be a fetcher. 

This blog is a way to give greyhounds, a wonderful breed, more exposure. These dogs are beautiful and deserve a warm and loving home that will love them in all their laziness. 

We will post videos and pictures as we go :)